Don't Be Surprised When Your Cheap PSU Blows Up

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Sutai Double Power P4-750W

With its 750 W ceiling, the Sutai Double Power P4-750W is basically a big brother to the P4-500W. While it has one more SATA connector (two total), it has one less Molex connector. Aside from that, the two power supplies are almost like peas in a pod.

The Sutai Double Power P4-750W did not even last as long as the 500 W model. Alarmed by the weaknesses of the 500 W unit, we began our tests at very low loads. Again, the results suggest a PSU originally designed for a maximum load of 300 W. Looking at the test results at low loads, this becomes rather evident.

It reaches an efficiency of 82% at loads as low as 85 W, a value that more expensive and powerful models would be happy with at this low level. But expecting the $25 Sutai Double Power P4-750W to continue delivering efficiency values like that might be a tad optimistic, even at 300 and 400 W, which is output that should be easy for a 750 W PSU. We were not extremely surprised when the PSU suddenly died of a heat stroke at a load of just 350 W, making further testing impossible.

Compared to the 500 W model, the Sutai Double Power P4-750W is an even bigger shame. While its little brother shut down at low loads, at least it'd fire back up after resting a bit. The 750 W unit overheated after just a short period of testing, and was completely dead after that.

TG Publishing Team
170 Comments Comment from the forums
  • jednx01
    Well, you get what you pay for. I may have spent over $200 on my Corsair HX1000, but this thing has been very reliable. (The first one they sent me was a dud, but they replaced it insanely quickly. My replacement one has run flawlessly for almost three years now, withstanding overclocking and pretty much anything I can throw at it. :)
    Reply
  • WHComp
    This is my favorite article ever. I laughed the entire time I was reading it.
    Reply
  • WHComp
    I don't need much power, I have a 520W seasonic unit that I love. Can barely hear it run.
    Reply
  • rolli59
    In the conclusion, not only buying a PSU twice but other components as well.
    Great article!
    Reply
  • cmcghee358
    This makes me nervous. All of my components BUT my PSU are top tier. I bought my PSU many MANY moons ago when I was alot less experienced. 1000W for $99.99 HELL YES.

    XION isn't as bad as these obviously, Ive run 4890s crossfired with a mild overclock on my 955. But the XION brand still makes me nervous.
    Reply
  • fyasko
    modular is the way to go. i got the 550 watt antec modular with 2 12v rails it is amazingly stable. as someone who bought cheapo PSU's for years and blamed everything else but the PSU for problems, Invest in a great/not good PSU and your comuter will love you for years without fail. then you can spend the rest of your time flaming apple for fun...
    Reply
  • iam2thecrowe
    Thank you Toms for finally doing an article like this. It should be known that most cheap PSU's are just rebranded versions of what you see in this article, so buyer beware. Surely there is some reason why these things are not taken off the market? how can they get away with selling crap like this at all? And labelled way above the actual specs. I've seen some bad PSU's in my time but this is beyond shocking.
    Reply
  • JohnnyLucky
    Great article. I just posted a message and a link to the report over in the power supply section of the forum.
    Reply
  • Marthian
    thank goodness I didn't cheap out when I first started building computers. Although I guess I did get a cheap power supply (according to some), it was 550W for $50, and lasted 2 years (first year went through a fan swap), and then shortly after the two year mark it started failing. at least it lasted 1 year longer than the warranty.
    Reply
  • paperfox
    Hope this reinforces the fact that you should get an 80+ Certified PSU the first time or you'll have to buy 2 new computers.
    Reply